Approved hospitals are all hospitals included in the hospital plan of the respective federal state. Hospital treatment can only take place in approved hospitals. In addition, only licensed hospitals are entitled to financial support and investments from the state.

The federal states are responsible for hospital planning. In doing so, they ensure that the population receives high-quality, patient-oriented and needs-based care. They also ensure that this care is provided by efficient, digitally equipped, high-quality hospitals that operate independently.

The inclusion or non-inclusion of a hospital in the hospital plan of a federal state is determined by decision. The care decision can be divided into two stages:

• In the first stage, all hospitals that meet the legally defined qualification criteria are identified. These criteria are adequacy, efficiency, quality and cost-effectiveness.
• It is possible that more hospitals meet the qualification criteria than are required to cover the identified need. The hospitals that best meet the objectives of the hospital plan are then selected in a second stage. The public interest and the principle of diversity of ownership are taken into account. The qualification characteristics are the decisive selection criteria. The following criteria, among others, are taken into account for the same quality of service provision:
  • the number of patients cared for,
  • regional accessibility or
  • a wider range of disciplines.

There is no ranking among the criteria mentioned.

After the responsible state authorities have drawn up the hospital plan, they make the decisions on the determination. The state authorities decide on the inclusion, non-inclusion or exclusion of a particular hospital in or from the hospital plan.